PenelopeI walk downstairs to find all three men doing different things. Donovan is on his cell phone and both Simon and Jack look at the laptops they have very intensely.My eyebrows furrow as I overhear Donovan’s conversation, “Can you come soon? I need her to be protected. I’ll do anything you want.”He nods his head as he turns and his eyes meet mine. The corner of his mouth twitches up as he sees me and he says, “Thank you, I’ll see you tomorrow.”He hangs up the phone and I ask with an eyebrow raised, “Who was that?”He gives me an uncomfortable smile as he says, “Her name is Cora, and I asked her to come here to help us.”He’s trying not to tell me something. My head cocks to the side as I ask, “Help us with what?”I notice that Simon and Jack have turned their attention to us, and Donovan says, “Well, something happened after you and Violet left.”“Yes, I know, you banished Xavier.”“Aubrey told you?” He questions and I nod in confirmation. He hesitates for a moment before aski
PenelopeTrue to her word, Cora showed up the next day.She was a sweet woman that I think is probably in her mid-fifties. She did a protection spell over me and only stayed for a single day. Donovan and Violet liked being around her and when she left, Violet made a comment about how Cora doesn’t like being in the same place long. She claims that it’s dangerous.I mean, I know she’s a witch, but I don’t understand what the danger is. Violet and Donovan don’t know either.But after Cora doing the spell on me, it seemed to calm Donovan down. He knows that the baby and I have an extra layer of protection that we wouldn’t otherwise have.Since Cora coming, everything has been pretty normal. Except that Donovan has been working hard to change some things so that Xavier wouldn’t know our strategies anymore.But, it’s been two weeks since Xavier was kicked out and since we found out that we’re pregnant. Now that Donovan isn’t freaking out as much over the safety of our pack, we decided to hav
VioletShit!This attack is overwhelming. I can't afford to make any mistakes or it means someone's life. I don't know if we're going to make it through this.I close up this hide out spot because it's full and I rush to find more people to lead to the next one. I see a child lost in the village among the chaos and I can hear their cries. I rush over to the boy and scoop him up in my arms, and continue to run to the next spot.I have to keep moving. There’s too much going on that staying still can cost you your life.The boy clings to me for safety and I breathe out in relief as I get to the next hideout spot and he calls out, “Mommy!”The woman grabs her son and then looks up at me and says, “Thank you, Beta.”I nod my head in acknowledgement. I need to get more people to safety, I need to move faster.I shift into my wolf and start herding groups towards the hideout. The screams, howls, and cries in the distance are distracting. The only peace I feel is for the fact I haven’t felt th
DonovanI stand in shock as I try to process what just happened. My feet finally move and I stumble over to Jack as he cries over the loss of his mate.She was my sister. She was the only family I had left. It was my job to protect her! Not only am I her older brother, but I'm also her Alpha! This never should've happened...As I get to Jack my knees give out and I fall beside him as a sob racks through my body. Our devastated cries fill the air and while my human side is distraught, my wolf is seething. He wants to find Xavier as soon as possible, he doesn’t want Xavier to think that he could commit this kind of act and get away with it.My wolf side and human side are fighting over this matter. In this moment I just want a second to mourn over my sister. I don't want to think about everything else going on. This battle is so chaotic and for the first time in my life, I want to just give up. I saw the front lines. The likelihood we make it out alive is slim. Simon called the fellow p
PenelopeHaving to stay put in a place when you can hear the battle raging on outside is torture. You don't know how close they are to you, you don't know if your closest friends have survived, and you feel utterly useless.I have been at the hospital for almost two hours now. I have been healing as many people as I can, even though Doctor Hudson and Doctor Pearson encourage me not to overexert myself. But… how can I not?I am the Luna of this pack and if I can't be out on the battlefield with them, then the least I can do is try to heal them. There are so many people that are injured. The battle must be just as bad, if not worse, than it sounds. I’ve gotten sick a few times already because seeing some of the bad injuries has made me nauseous. During those times, Doctor Hudson forces me to take some time for myself.So, that’s what I’m doing right now. I’m sitting in my room and sipping on water as I try hard not to think about what is going on outside of these walls.The only thing
PenelopeI don't know how long I have been riding on Donovan's wolf. All I know, is that I am incredibly uncomfortable and resisting the urge the throw up from how much I've been jostled around.After what seemed like a small eternity, Donovan let me down and shifted into his human form so we could walk together. Getting to walk felt great and my hand rubbed my stomach softly, subconsciously I was trying to soothe myself by thinking of our baby, and I was resisting the urge to get sick.As we walk, I notice that Donovan is very on edge and alert. I don't blame him, but from how long he had been running, I think we are far away from any major threat. A small part of me wonders if he even has a plan or if we are just running aimlessly through the forest. I want to ask, but I don’t want to offend him.But he seems to know what I’m concerned about and says, “We’re going to an old friend of mine’s pack.”“A pack?” I question. Donovan nods his head and I ask, “If you were close with another
DonovanI don’t know who this woman is in front of me. But I know she is the Luna of the Renegade Pack.The thing that throws me off about her is how similar she looks to Penelope. The main difference between the two of them is that the Luna has blonde hair and Penelope has black. But their eyes are the same shape and color, their lips are the same shape, even the shape of their faces are similar! One of their face is just slightly rounder than the others.The Luna looks to the patrolmen and says, “They can come back to the pack house with me. Alpha Knight would want to see them.”The men bow their heads in respect to her, but one of them says, “Luna, with all due respect, I don’t think you should be left alone. Could I accompany you to the pack house?”She nods her head as she says, “Of course.”We follow the Luna as she leads us to the pack house. Both of us are quiet and don’t say anything and the Luna eventually asks the patrolman, “What’s your name?”He says, “Marco, Luna.”She sh
PenelopeI don't like being in a new place. My heart longs to be back home in the Moon Stone Pack, back before the battle that made us lose everything. I wish I could turn back time so that I never went with Donovan to the Red River Pack or that I hadn't run off after shifting.My stomach churns as I’m full of anxiety from being in this new place with people I don’t know. Donovan and I take a moment to collect ourselves and to take a breather in the room before having to join the Alpha and Luna for dinner. Donovan looks over at me and asks, “Are you ready, Pen?”I let out a shuddery breath as I force myself to nod my head. Donovan shakes his head at me in disbelief because he knows I'm not okay. He walks over to me and takes my hands in his. He leans down and presses a kiss to my forehead as he says, “It will be okay, Pen. Just remember, they’re doing us a favor by taking us in.”“I know,” I respond as he holds my hand and leads me out the door. He leads us to a room and knocks on the
15 years since Violet was born. Penelope The years have been good to us. I have seen so much of the world and felt more free than I ever could've imagined. It's just the three of us, we never had another kid. We talked about it... more than once, but ultimately we were fearful of how it could affect our safety. Nothing was worth the chance of putting Violet in even more danger than she already is. I lie in bed with Donovan snuggled up beside me. Uneasiness churns in my stomach and I know that something is going on that we don't know yet. Call it my 6th sense or mother's intuition, I just know something's off. Donovan kisses my head and mumbles, "Turn off your thoughts, Pen. Everything is fine."I let out a breath, hoping that he's right. He pushes himself up and looks me in the eye as he asks, "We're fine, we're safe, we'll be at Cora's in the morning."We haven't seen Cora for over 6 months now. We've been in Asia for the last half of the year and although we have enjoyed our tra
Five years later.PenelopeI sit across from Amelia at the table as we each sip on our coffee and watch our girls play together. A few months after I had Violet, Amelia had a little girl that they named Magnolia. It's fun watching our daughters play together, but the interesting thing is how similar they look to me and Amelia.Violet looks almost exactly like me except that her hair was curly like her dad's and her blue eyes had a green circle around the pupil. Magnolia looks just like Amelia, with her blonde hair and jade green eyes. The two of them together like this makes me wonder how mine and Amelia's childhood could've been different if our mom hadn't put me in the Academy and if our dad hadn't been a monster.Amelia brings the cup to her lips before setting it down and asking, "So, where are you headed this time?"Donovan, Violet, and I are constantly moving around. The longest we stay at a place is 1 month before we're going somewhere new. Traveling has become one of my favori
PenelopeI hate waiting. I know that Cora and Donovan are both safe and they are working out a way to get him home, but it’s hard not to feel anxious about the entire thing. It’s been five days. It’s weird getting used to taking care of a newborn and going through this healing process on my own. But because I’m a werewolf, I heal faster than a human would, so I mean, that’s a good thing.It’s harder getting used to take care of a baby. I’ve never been around them much so tending to all of her needs all of the time is very taxing, physically, mentally, and emotionally! Add in all of the drama with Donovan and it’s surprising I haven’t had a complete mental break down from all of the stress.I breathe out as I cook dinner, eager to hear if there was any progress today. I need them back home… it’s hard not to feel depressed when all I have is myself and my racing thoughts.There’s a loud bang and for a moment, I freeze. Is someone breaking in?I think of the fastest way to get to Violet
PenelopeDonovan’s okay? He’s okay!The smile on my face hurts my cheeks, but I don’t care because I could cry from relief. He’s okay. I can’t believe he’s okay and away from Xavier.But then Cora pops my bubble as she says, “You have to stay here, Penelope.”My eyebrows knit together as I question, “What are you talking about? I need to go see him. He’s my mate.”“I know that and trust me, Penelope, he wants to see you and Violet more than anything else in this world, but you won’t be going to see him right now.”I cross my arms defiantly as I ask, “And why not?”She breathes out, exasperated with my attitude, before saying, “Because I’m trying to keep you safe and Donovan specifically requested for you not to come.”Her words hurt and I can’t help the pain I felt in my heart from hearing that my mate didn’t want me. Instantly, Cora’s eyes soften and she says, “I didn’t mean it like that, Penelope. Xavier let Donovan go. Donovan knows he must have a tracker on him or something! Why el
DonovanHatred fuels my blood.Anger fills my mind.All I can think of is how to get out of here and end Xavier's life.I don’t know how long I’ve been here. Xavier is strong, and he is growing more powerful. He brought me back to the Moon Stone pack lands and I know now that he plans to rebuild here and to become an Alpha. But right now, there are days that go by that no one is coming to check on me. I’m learning their patterns and when they’re vulnerable. I need to get home and I would do anything to make sure that I can escape Xavier’s clutches.When I leave here, I can’t go straight to Cora’s, even though I want to see Penelope more than anything in the world. No, I need to go somewhere else. Perhaps to the Renegade Pack. I need to make sure that there is no tracker on me so that I don’t put Penelope and our daughter in danger.I think one of the big reasons that Xavier isn’t worried about me being watched at all times is because he already has a plan in motion. He knows that I wo
PenelopeIt’s been two weeks since Cora came home and Donovan never returned. Life feels like it has lost all meaning without Donovan around.I feel like my baby bump doubled and size and like Violet is moving around more. I think that she’s antsy because she knows that her daddy isn’t home. Or maybe I’m crazy and this is normal for this point in a pregnancy.Cora caters to me constantly. Honestly, she’s going a bit overboard and I’ve tried to get her to settle down, but I think that the guilt is eating her alive and she’s doing the best that she can to get through everything. I still have roughly a month left to get through this pregnancy. That means that Donovan has no help coming for him for over a month. He’ll have to figure out how to escape alone or he’ll have to hold on until I get there.Cora sets a cup of tea down beside me, and she watches me. I can feel her eyes on me and she sighs, “He wouldn’t want you to come after him.’I bite my tongue so hard that tears prickle in my
DonovanMy ears ring from the sound of the cars crashing together. As our car spins out, Cora wakes up and screams. I grit my teeth together as I try to figure out what just happened. Before even getting out of the car to investigate, I know in my gut that this crash was intentional.My wolf is on high alert, knowing that the threat is somewhere we can't see. I huff as I turn to look at Cora and say, “When I get out of the car, I want you to drive off. Head home as fast as you can and make sure no one is following you.”She looks disoriented, but she nods her head and says, “Okay.”I breathe out, trying to steady myself before getting out where I know for a fact that I will be attacked. I open the door and as the dust from the wreck clears; I watch as I see Xavier appear across from me. He stands tall with his arms crossed as he smirks at me. I shut the door behind me and turn my head to the side as I say to Cora, “Go! And keep her safe.”To my relief, Cora doesn’t hesitate to drive of
PenelopeI didn't realize how incredibly boring it would be to be completely by myself. There’s nothing to do. I’ve already cleaned everything, I’ve tended to the garden, I’ve cooked dinner, I’ve scoured the internet for ideas for Violet’s nursery, and now I’m just sitting on the couch, bored.I tried to read a book but I find myself unable to focus. My wolf feels anxious, which is an odd behavior for her. I would let her go out for a run, but I’m pretty sure Donovan would have my head if he knew I went running without him to protect me.I breathe out as I lay my head back. I wish he would call me or mind link me. I would try to link him, but I don’t want to distract him in case he is in danger. Eventually… I fall asleep. I don’t know how long I’ve been asleep, but when I wake up, it’s from the back door slamming shut. I jump and I’m wide awake and ready to attack until I hear Cora’s voice yell, “Penelope! Are you okay?”I rush towards her and I say, “I’m fine.” I notice a cut on her
DonovanIt was only a one-day trip to get to the White Fang Pack. Cora and I sit on the outskirts of it and observe to see how hard it would be to break inside. The patrol here sucks. They’re slow, they talk a lot, they are never quiet enough to listen to their surroundings to see if a threat could be present, and they leave their post without waiting for someone to take their place. It’s like they’re begging for someone to attack their pack and take advantage of their vulnerabilities.I grind my teeth in frustration. If my pack was like this, then I could understand how we were overthrown. My pack was ready. We just couldn’t handle how powerful the threat was. But this pack… I feel like I could overthrow them by myself. I wouldn’t. That’s not the kind of man I am and I don’t want to draw attention to myself. I know that Xavier is still out looking for me and because of that, I need to stay down low as long as possible. Cora asks, “What do you think?”“I think I could easily get you